Nashville mayor decries anti-gay statement named after city

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Nashville's mayor is denouncing a statement against same-sex marriage that evangelical leaders named after the city.

On Tuesday, Mayor Megan Barry tweeted that the "Nashville Statement" is poorly named and does not represent the inclusive values of the city and people of Nashville.

More than 180 evangelical leaders have signed the statement, which was released after the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission annual conference last week in Nashville.

Among 14 beliefs listed, the statement also takes a stance against transgender people. It says Christians shouldn't simply agree to disagree on homosexuality and transgender issues.

In response to Barry's tweet, Coalition for Biblical Sexuality President Denny Burk wrote that the group was simply following a longstanding Christian tradition of naming doctrinal statements after where they were written.